The Gospel

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.                     
I Corinthians 15:1–4 NIV

What is the Gospel? The word gospel simply means “good news.”  The central message of the Bible is the good news about the person and work of Jesus Christ.  In 1 Corinthians 15:1–4, Paul provides the most succinct summary of the Gospel: that the man Jesus is also God, that He died on a cross in our place, paying the penalty for our sins;  that three days later He rose to conquer Satan, sin and death and give the gift of salvation to all who believe in Him alone for eternal life.  That’s the Gospel.  And it’s the essence of all we are and do at Reality.  

In our culture it is common to confuse religion with the Gospel but they are, in reality, 2 opposing ways to live.  Contrary to public opinion, Jesus did not come to establish a new religion - one where people followed Him as opposed to some other spiritual leader.  Jesus came to abolish religion, to fulfill the law, and reconcile all of His creation to Himself.  As Christ-followers, we must fight against religion as it is the sinful tendency of all mankind.   We must fight for the Gospel - to proclaim in word & deed the good news of the Kingdom, that Jesus created, came , died, rose, conquered - and is coming again to set us free and make ‘all things new’.  

The following contrasts are offered to help clarify the differences between living the way of religion & living the Way of the Gospel.

Religion is all about me.
The Gospel is all about Jesus.

Religion is about going to church.
The Gospel is about being the church.

Religion is about diligently following the rules.
The Gospel is about grace.

Religion is about what I have to do.
The Gospel is about what I get to do.

Religion says that if we obey God, then He will love us.  
The Gospel says that it is only because God has loved us through Jesus, that we can obey.

Religion says that the world is filled with good people and bad people.
The Gospel says that the world is filled with jacked up people who are either repentant or unrepentant.  Some people simply hide this better than others.

Religion says that you should trust in what you do as a good moral person.
The Gospel says that you should trust in the perfectly sinless life of Jesus because He alone is the only good and truly moral person who will ever live.

The goal of religion is to get from God such things as health, wealth, insight, power, and control.
The goal of the Gospel is not the gifts God gives, but rather God as the gift given to us by grace.

Religion sees hardship in life as punishment from God.
The Gospel sees hardship in life as sanctifying affliction that reminds us of Jesus’ sufferings and is used by God in love to make us more like Jesus.  Because of Jesus, we can be confident that God will work all things out for our good and His glory.  

Religion leads to prohibitions & divisive, man-made behavioral traditions.
The Gospel leads to dancing, good wine, and great music.  

Religion leads to an uncertainty about my standing before God because I never know if I have done enough to please God.
The Gospel leads to a confidence about my standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus on my behalf on the cross.

Religion ends in either pride (because I think I am better than other people) or despair (because I continually fall short of God’s commands).
The Gospel ends in humble, confident joy because of the power of Jesus at work for me, in me, through me, and sometimes in spite of me.

In short,
Religion is why 97% of our city misunderstands, is disconnected from, and has tuned-out Jesus.
The Gospel is the only thing that can change that.

For the Gospel in under 5 minutes, listen to some words shared during our Christmas Eve gathering - 2009.